6 replies

Redorangedog, As a male nurse it would be beneficial to know when to go get help from a female nurse. Some female patients no matter what age do not feel comfortable when a male is supposed to help them with their ADLs. A young or old female may have many issues with someone of the opposite sex seeing their naked body, or touching them somewhere that makes them uncomfortable for reasons that you may never know. An incest victim, a rape victim or simply someone that has been misinformed about the male and/or female roles in life or for religious and cultural reasons. Allowing a female nurse to take one of your patients for a shift, may have the opportunity to explain to the patient that it is common place in the hospital for male nurses to help females everyday, that patient care is just his job, no matter what sex the patient is. The nurse can educate the female patient that the sex of a nurse is not important, only his skills are important. Like a doctor, would it matter if the best doctor in the hospital were male or female, if that person could diagnose and treat your disease making you better in half of the time, would it really matter what sex they were? Thus leaving the door of this patient open to the male nurse the next day.

I work in intesive care for 1 1/2 years. We taught that before we help a female patient that it is alway best to come right out and ask if they had any objections to me helping with what ever it might be. I was alway suprised with some of the responses that I got. But it was alway the right thing to do and it always put the patient at ease.

Anytime there is a situation involving new choices, roles, or expectations there will be conflict. It is human nature. Call it fear of the unknown! It takes strong people and personalities to overcome the often awkward responses other have to these new experiences.

The notion of nurses being women is a strong and long tradition. Given that I work with so many medical professional I guess you could say I am "over it" but I do remember my often confused initial feelings!

As far as handling being in a role conflict where I work I do all of the fork lift training and certification in over 10 years I never had issue with it. Occasionally I have to load or unload a truck, a few truck drivers have had issues. I just tell them I'm here to do the job or they are more then welcome to wait until someone else is available which in most casse would be the next day.

Traditionally people think of nurses and they assume that it is a woman. A male friend and his wife are both nurses but at different hospitals. I have had male nurses myself and I thought they did an excellent job. If I were a nurse I would expect to encounter times that are awkward. I guess it would be like having a male nanny. Sure they can do the job you would expect to see a woman in that role. Times continue to change and as women take on positions that are normally predominantly filled by men then I dont see why the same cannot be achieved by men venturing into women dominated professions.